William Neville, 1st Earl of Kent
Encyclopedia
William Neville, 1st Earl of Kent KG (c. 1410–9 Jan 1463) and jure uxoris
Jure uxoris
Jure uxoris is a Latin term that means "by right of his wife" or "in right of a wife". It is commonly used to refer to a title held by a man whose wife holds it in her own right. In other words, he acquired the title simply by being her husband....

6th Baron Fauconberg
Baron Fauconberg
The title Baron Fauconberg has been created twice in the Peerage of England. It was first created in 1295 when Walter de Fauconberg was summoned to parliament. Between 1463 and 1903 the title was abeyant, until the abeyance was terminated in favour of Marcia Amelia Mary Lane-Fox, who also gained...

, was an English nobleman and soldier.

Early life

Born circa 1410, he was the second son of Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland
Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland
Sir Ralph de Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland, 4th Baron Neville de Raby, Lord of Richmond, Earl Marshal, KG, PC , was an English nobleman of the House of Neville...

 and his second wife, Joan Beaufort.

His mother was the legitimised daughter of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster
John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster
John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster , KG was a member of the House of Plantagenet, the third surviving son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault...

 and Katherine Swynford
Katherine Swynford
Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster , née Roet , was the daughter of Sir Payne Roet , originally a Flemish herald from County of Hainaut, later...

. John of Gaunt was the third surviving son of Edward III of England
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...

 and Philippa of Hainault
Philippa of Hainault
Philippa of Hainault, or, Philippe de Hainaut was the Queen consort of King Edward III of England. Edward, Duke of Guyenne, her future husband, promised in 1326 to marry her within the following two years...

. William was therefore a great-grandson of Edward III. However, the terms of the legitimisation of the Beaufort family
Beaufort family
The House of Beaufort is an English noble family, which originated in the fourteenth century and played an important role in the political struggles of the fifteenth century....

 specifically excluded them or their descendants from succession to the throne.

William was one of a number of the Neville sons to make a good match, marrying the Fauconberg heiress and taking the title Lord Fauconberg — just as his nephew Richard Neville (Warwick the Kingmaker
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
Richard Neville KG, jure uxoris 16th Earl of Warwick and suo jure 6th Earl of Salisbury and 8th and 5th Baron Montacute , known as Warwick the Kingmaker, was an English nobleman, administrator, and military commander...

) married the Warwick heiress and became Earl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick is a title that has been created four times in British history and is one of the most prestigious titles in the peerages of the British Isles.-1088 creation:...

. William's marriage took place at some point before 1422. His wife Joan Beaufort was 4 years older than he was, and was described as an idiot from birth. The Fauconberg estates were in North Yorkshire, a centre of power for other members of the Neville family.

The Lancastrian allegiance

He seemingly had a conventional military career during the earlier part of Henry VI
Henry VI of England
Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...

's reign. Knighted in May 1426, he was serving on the Scottish Borders in 1435. In 1436 he was serving with Richard, Duke of York
Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York
Richard Plantagenêt, 3rd Duke of York, 6th Earl of March, 4th Earl of Cambridge, and 7th Earl of Ulster, conventionally called Richard of York was a leading English magnate, great-grandson of King Edward III...

, in France — his first contact with a man who was later to receive his allegiance. By 1439 he was a field commander in France, with Lords Talbot and Scales. At the siege of Harfleur in 1440 he was made a Knight of the Garter for his part in the campaigns of 1438-39; in particular the capture and garrisoning of Meaux. The town where Henry V had died, was a crucial marches town for English Normandy. They had re-supplied the town, also retaking Montargis and Gerberoy. Fauconberg fought with the rrelief at Meaux when Richemont seized the stronghold by storm on 12 August 1439. The English lords forced a confrontation; but the french fled leaving twenty barges laden with supplies.As one of the three field commanders, Neville had been put on the royal council since 30 April, on Warwick's death, before a new Regent could emerge. In October, Fauconberg helped recapture Harfleur, expelling the french garrison; only Dieppe remained intransigent. The field commanders pre-eminence was supplanted in March 1442 by William, Lord Bourgchier's appointment as governor-general of Normandy.

By 1443 whilst back in England, on 7 March he took custody of Roxburgh
Roxburgh
Roxburgh , also known as Rosbroch, is a village, civil parish and now-destroyed royal burgh. It was an important trading burgh in High Medieval to early modern Scotland...

 castle. He was granted £1,000 per annum (around £1,000,000 at 2005 prices) during peace, twice this if at war with Scotland, and until 1448, satisfactory payment was made. However in 1449 he returned to France as part of a diplomatic mission, and in May 1449 he spent the night that the french chose to capture Pont de l'Arche in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...

. 120 men were taken in all. Neville was reluctant to surrender to a lowly archer, who almost killed him. While in captivity in France, he spent 2 years of his own income supporting the upkeep of the castle. In spite of a grant from Parliament in 1449, by 1451 he was owed £4,109. He was forced to settle for less. The loss of such an experienced captain was a blow to English administration. The English had already lost the Bretons for taking their salt fleet, and then in July 1449, Somerset refused Fauconberg's return in a deal for Fougeres.

In 1453 he was ransomed (for 8,000 French ecus) and freed from captivity. He still had the custody of Roxburgh castle, but was impoverished by maintaining this and by his captivity in France. By now he was owed £1,000 by the government. He settled this by accepting a grant of 1,000 marks from the customs at Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...

. Not only was this only worth about two-thirds of the original amount, there was no guarantee that he would ever get the money. As Griffths says

"What is so remarkable about his tale is that the Lancastrian crown could command [his] loyalty"

Changing sides

Until this point, he can be seen as a loyal member of the supporters of the House of Lancaster
House of Lancaster
The House of Lancaster was a branch of the royal House of Plantagenet. It was one of the opposing factions involved in the Wars of the Roses, an intermittent civil war which affected England and Wales during the 15th century...

. However, at some time during the next two years, his allegiance began to change. He was a member of Richard, Duke of York's council during Henry VI's second period of madness. Although he was with the Lancastrian nobility at the first battle of St Albans
First Battle of St Albans
The First Battle of St Albans, fought on 22 May 1455 at St Albans, 22 miles north of London, traditionally marks the beginning of the Wars of the Roses. Richard, Duke of York and his ally, Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, defeated the Lancastrians under Edmund, Duke of Somerset, who was killed...

 (1455), after the battle he was appointed by York to be joint Constable of Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...

.

We cannot know why he changed sides. Did York (short of support among the nobility) try to gain Fauconberg's allegiance? As a member of the Neville clan, Fauconberg had good family reasons for siding with York, who was after all, his brother-in-law. Warwick
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
Richard Neville KG, jure uxoris 16th Earl of Warwick and suo jure 6th Earl of Salisbury and 8th and 5th Baron Montacute , known as Warwick the Kingmaker, was an English nobleman, administrator, and military commander...

 (Fauconberg's nephew) begins his rise to fame after 1455, and Fauconberg would be associated with Warwick for the next five years. His treatment over the custody of Roxburgh Castle must have rankled.

In the years 1455–1460, Fauconberg consolidated his position as a member of the Yorkist camp, and strengthened his position as an ally of Warwick. In 1457 he joined Warwick (appointed Captain of Calais) as his deputy. Warwick used Calais as a base for what was essentially piracy, and Fauconberg seems to have been happy to assist. He was in England in 1458, and in May he was briefly imprisoned in London — but he was bailed by Warwick and returned to Calais.

The spoils of victory

The rewards of victory followed. He was made a member of the King's Council, and appointed Lieutenant of the North. On 1 November he was created Earl of Kent
Earl of Kent
The peerage title Earl of Kent has been created eight times in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.See also Kingdom of Kent, Duke of Kent.-Earls of Kent, first creation :*Godwin, Earl of Wessex...

, and appointed Steward of the Royal Household. In July 1462 he was appointed Lord Admiral, and in August that year he was granted 46 manors in the west country.

Edward IV relied on him for both land and naval warfare. Following the victory at Towton
Battle of Towton
In 1461, England was in the sixth year of the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars between the Houses of York and Lancaster over the English throne. The Lancastrians backed the reigning King of England, Henry VI, an indecisive man who suffered bouts of madness...

, he took part in the gradual establishment of royal control in Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...

, heading a garrison of 120 men at Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...

 in the summer of 1461, and taking part in the siege of Alnwick
Alnwick
Alnwick is a small market town in north Northumberland, England. The town's population was just over 8000 at the time of the 2001 census and Alnwick's district population was 31,029....

 in November 1462. Between these dates he was back in Calais, raiding the Breton coast in August 1462, then burning le Conquet near Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...

, and raiding the Ile de Re
Île de Ré
Île de Ré is an island off the west coast of France near La Rochelle, on the northern side of the Pertuis d'Antioche strait....

.

He died on 9 January 1463, and was buried at Guisborough Priory
Gisborough Priory
Gisborough Priory is a ruined former Augustinian priory in the town of Guisborough, now in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1119 as the Priory of St. Mary by Robert de Brus, 1st Lord of Annandale, an ancestor of the...

, in the heart of his Fauconberg lands. He was survived by his wife, who died in 1490 at the age of 84 (thus living through the reigns of all the kings of the 15th century). He had 3 daughters from his marriage, and one acknowledged illegitimate son, Thomas Neville. Known as the Bastard of Fauconberg
Bastard of Fauconberg
Thomas Neville or Thomas, Viscount Fauconberg was a Lancastrian leader in the Wars of the Roses.The illegitimate son of Sir William Neville of Fauconberg, Earl of Kent, Thomas Neville was more often referred to as The Bastard of Fauconberg , Lord Fauconberg or just Thomas the Bastard...

, he was to lead a revolt later in Edward IV's reign.

William Neville is an under-rated figure in the rise to power of the Yorkist regime. More successful as a military leader than the more famous Warwick
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
Richard Neville KG, jure uxoris 16th Earl of Warwick and suo jure 6th Earl of Salisbury and 8th and 5th Baron Montacute , known as Warwick the Kingmaker, was an English nobleman, administrator, and military commander...

, his reputation is summed up in Goodman's words: "No other veteran of the Anglo-French Wars won such distinction in the Wars of the Roses
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...

"

Ancestry



External links

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